Quest Line:
Previous Quest:
Summary:
Work with a model of teebeedee birds and their environment to solve the mystery of why there are so many hard-beaked birds in the forest. Turn in the evo globe when you find what causes it to match the forest birds' traits.
Recommendations:
In this quest players use a simulator to see how environmental pressures can affect traits. If they have never been introduced to the idea of a simulator before, it may be good to give them an overview of why they are useful (models, long term changes, etc). It is also possible to give players other questions that can be answered by the Eco Globe simulator. We recommend giving players plenty of opportunity to play and discuss using the simulator.
Learning Objectives:
- Use models and simulations
- Understand principles of natural selection
Tools:
Connecting Questions:
- What did the simulator tell you?
- Why is running a simulation useful?
- Do all environmental pressures have an affect on traits?
- How quickly do the traits in a population shift after an environmental pressure has been changed?
- Additional observation to make with the simulator: When the seed hardness increases, very strong beaks become prevalent? Ask student what they think will happen if given a population with a majority of strong beaks, seeds now become soft. Make predictions and then use the simulator to see what happens. (The strong beaks do not die out, but the weak beaks begin to make a comeback)
Additional Resources: